By Edmund Bogen | December 02, 2022
Boca Raton is a coastal city in southeastern Florida that’s known for its luxury resorts and golf courses. But have you ever wondered how this city got its name? Surprisingly, the answer has more to do with a shipwreck and a hungry Spanish explorer than anything else!
In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon arrived on the east coast of Florida in search of gold. After weeks of combing the area with no luck, Ponce de Leon and his men were growing desperate. One day, while scouring the coastline, they came across an inlet with beautiful white sand beaches. They decided to stop and rest for a bit, and Ponce de Leon immediately fell in love with the area. He named it “La Boca Raton,” which means “The Rat’s Mouth” in Spanish.
Interestingly enough, Ponce de Leon didn’t actually name the area after an actual rat. Rather, he named it after a nautical term used to describe a dangerous sandbar that juts out into the water. This term is still used today by sailors when referring to treacherous waters.
Ponce de Leon’s ship wasn’t so lucky, however. A few days after arriving at La Boca Raton, the explorer’s ship ran aground on one of these sandbars and was wrecked. Luckily, Ponce de Leon and his men were able to make it to shore safely and eventually made their way back to Spain.
While La Boca Raton never became the site of a major Spanish settlement like St. Augustine or Pensacola, it remained on maps for many years afterward. Eventually, American settlers began moving into the area, and in 1925, the city was incorporated under its current name: Boca Raton.
So there you have it—the story of how Boca Raton got its name! Next time you’re relaxing on one of the city’s pristine beaches or enjoying a round of golf at one of its world-famous courses, be sure to tell your friends all about its unique history.